1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to various imaging apparatuses such as a digital still camera, a digital video camera, and a camera module mounted on a cellular phone terminal and the like and a method and a program for function control corresponding to imaging modes used in the imaging apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various digital cameras such as a stand-alone digital camera and a camera module mounted on a cellular phone terminal are widely used. In the digital cameras widely used in this way, various automatic control functions such as an automatic exposure adjusting function called AE (Automatic Exposure), an automatic white balance adjusting function called AWB (Automatic White Balance), and an automatic focus adjusting function called AF (Automatic Focus) are realized.
A user can take, by using the various automatic control functions, images of a target subject with appropriate exposure and appropriate white balance and in an appropriately focused state without applying complicated adjustment operation to the user's own digital camera.
In the AF function, in order to automatically detect a position of the subject (a distance from the digital camera to the subject), the digital camera performs so-called scanning for specifying the position of the subject while gradually changing a focus. As one of specific methods for the scanning, there is a method of capturing images while gradually changing focus in a predetermined distance range, performing frequency analysis of the captured images, and setting a position where a largest number of high-frequency components are present as a position where the digital camera is focused (a focused position). The position where there are a largest number of high-frequency components is set as the focused position because, if the digital camera is focused, a contour of the subject is made clear and the number of high-frequency components increases.
When the user uses the digital camera to take images, usually, the user often shoots a person in a position one meter to several meters apart from the digital camera, a scene several tens meters to several hundreds meters apart from the digital camera, and the like. Therefore, in the AF function of the digital camera, an area from a position about one meter apart from the digital camera to the infinity is set as a normal area. The scanning is often performed in this area (range).
However, if the scanning is performed in only the normal area, for example, when the user desires to take a picture of a flower in bloom from a position as close as possible to the flower (e.g., from a position about several tens centimeters from the flower), the digital camera is not focused by the AF function. Therefore, when the user attempts to take an image of the subject from a near distance equal to or smaller than several tens centimeters from the subject, the user can focus the camera on the subject in a near scene using a so-called macro mode for setting a scanning range in a range equal to or smaller than several tens centimeters from the digital camera.
Therefore, when the user takes an image of the subject only several tens centimeters apart from the subject, the user needs to perform operation for switching a normal mode for scanning the normal area to the macro mode for setting a scanning range in a range equal to or smaller than several tens centimeters from the digital camera. Since digital cameras in these days are improved in operability, the user is allowed to relatively easily perform the switching (change) between the normal mode and the macro mode by operating the digital camera according to guidance.
Nevertheless, a user unaccustomed to the digital camera (including a user not having knowledge concerning focus) may be unable to easily perform switching between the normal mode and the macro mode of the AF function. As a result, it sometimes occurs that, although the user takes a picture of a flower in bloom in a position as close as possible to the flower, the digital camera is not focused on the flower and only a so-called blurred picture is taken.
In order to solve such a problem, JP-A-2007-249068 discloses a technique for automatically switching, when the AF function is performed in the normal mode, the normal mode to the macro mode if the digital camera scans the normal area (e.g., a range from a position about one meter apart from the digital camera to the infinity) and is not focused and performing the scanning with the scanning range set in a range equal to or smaller than several tens centimeters from the digital camera to thereby allow the user to appropriately take an image of a subject even in a near position.
When the technique disclosed in JP-A-2007-249068 is used, the user does not need to switch the normal mode and the macro mode of the AF function every time the user performs shooting. Therefore, it is possible to prevent failure in the case of near distance shooting.